Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-05-18

ue SCOppeu, anu, puttilIS Ills Aeho al nAo
pocket, took out two shilling piece and threw
it to the Hottentot, calling to him to catch it.
Jantje was holding the horses with one
hand In the other he held his stick-a long
walking kerrie that he always carried, the
same on which he had shown Bessie the
notches In order to catch the piece Of money
he dropped the stick, and Mullers quick eye
catching sight of the notches beneath the
knob, he stopped down, picked it up, and
examined it.
"What do these mean, boy7" he asked,
pointing to the line of big and little notches,
some of which had evidently been cut years
ago.
Jantje touched his hat, spat upon the
"Scotchman," as the natives Of that part Of
Africa call two shilling piece, and pocketed
it before he answered. The fact that the
giver had murdered all his near relations did
not make the gift less desirable in his eyes.
Hottentot moral sense is not very elevated.
"No, baas," be said, with curious grin,
"tbat is how I reckon. If anybody beats
Jantje, Jantje cuts q notch upon the stick.
and every night before he goes to sleep he
looks at it, and says: 'One day you will
strike that man twice who struck you once,
and so on, baas. Look what a line Of them
there are, baas. One day will pay them all
back again, Baas Frank"
In another minute old Hans Coetzee came,
and announced that it was time to be moving.
Accordingly the whole party got into their
carts or on to their shooting horses, as the
case might be, and started. Frank Muller
was, John noticed, mounted as usual on his
fino black horse. After driving for more
than half all hour along an indefinite kind Of
wagon track, the leading cart, in which was
old Hans Coetzee himself, Malay driver
and q colored Cape boy, turned to the left
across the open vcldt, and the others followed
in turn This went OH for some time, till at
last they reached the crest of rise that COM
manded large sweep of open country, and
here Hans halted and held up his hand,
whereon the others halted, too. On looking
out over the vast plain before him, John dis
covered the reason. About half milo be-
meath them was great herd Of blesbuck,
feeding, 30) or more Of them, and beyond
them again another herd of some sixty or
seventy much larger and wilder looking ami
mails, with white tails, which John at once
recognized as vilderbeeste Nearer to them
again, dotted about here and there on the
plain, were couple Of dozen or SO Of grace
full yellow springbuck.
Then council of war wus held, which re-
suited in the men OIL horseback-among
whom was Frank Muler-being dispatched
to circumvent the herds and drive them
toward the carts, that took up their stations
at various points toward which the buck were
likely to make.
no mn n n a mn a n
or so, till, suddenly, from the far ridge of the
opposite slope, John saw a couple Of puffs Of
white smoke float up into the air, and one of
the vilderbeeste below roll over on his back,
kicking and plunging furiously Thereon the
whole herd of buck turned and came thunder
ing toward them, stretched il a long line
across the wide veldt; the springbucls first,
then the blesbuck, looking, owing to their
peculiar way of holding their long heads
down as they galIoped, for all the world like
herd of great bearded goats: Behind and
mixed up with them were the vilderbeeste,
who twisted and turned, and jumped into the
air as though they had gone clean Off their
heads and were next second going clean on
them. 1t is very difficult, owing to his ex-
traordinary method of progression, to dis
tinguish one part of galloping vilderbeeste
from another; now it is his horns now his
tail, and now his hoofs that present them
selves to the watchers bewildered vision, and
now again they all seem to be mixed up to-
gether. On came the great herd, making the
ground shake beneath their football; and
after them galloped the mounted Beers, every
now and again jumping from their horses to
fire SHOT into the line OF game, which gen
in vol of
sprawiing OH the ground, wherein the sports
men would remount and continue the chase.
Presently the buck were within range Of
some OF the guns in the carts and regular
fusillade began. About twenty blesbuck
turned and came past John, within forty
yards Of him. Springing to the ground, he
fired both barrels of his express" at them as
they tore past-alas and alas! without touch
ing them. The first bullet struck under their
bellies, the second. must have shaved their
backs. Reloading rapidly, he fired again at
about 200 yards range, and this time one
fell to his second barrel. But he knew that
it was u cuance shot; he had fired at the last
buck, and be had killed one ten PAGES in front
Of him. The fact Of the matter is that this
sort of shooting is exceedingly difficult till one
knows how to do it.
Jumping into the cart again, and leaving
the dead blesbuck to lcok after itself for the
present-not q very safe thing to do In
country where there are so many vultures-
John, OF rather Jantje, put the horses into
gallop, and away they went ut full tear.
Every few minutes or SO they would pull up
whenever the game was within range, and
John would spring from the cart and let
drive, and then jump in and follow on again.
This went OH for nearly an hour, in which
time he hud fired twenty-seven cartridges and
killed three blcsbuck and wounded a Wider
beestc, which they proceeded to chase. But
the vilderbeeste was struck in the rump, and
buck so wounded will 20 a long way, and
20 very fast also, and some miles had been
got over before he began to rest, only starting
OH again as they drew near. At last, on
crossing the crest Of little rise, John saw
what Mt first he took to be his vilderbeeste
dead. A second look, however, showed him
that, although it was a dead vilderbeeste, it
most undoubtedly was not the one that he
had wounded, for that was standing, its head
hanging down, about 120 yards beyond the
other animal, which had, no doubt, fallen to
somebody else's rifle, or else been wounded
farther back and come here to die Now the
vilderbecste lay within 100 yards of Them,
and Jantjc pointed out to John that his best
plan would bc to get out Of the cart and
creep OH his hands and knees up to the dead
animal, from the cover Of which he could get
q good shot at his own wounded bull.
Accordingly, Jantje having withdrawn
with the cart and horses out Of sight under
the shelter of the rise, John crouched upon
his hands and knees and proceeded to carry
out his stalk. He got on all right till he got
quite close to the dead cow, and was just con-
graduating himself on the prospect of an ex-
cellent shot ut the wounded bull, when sud-
denly something struck the ground violently
just beneath his stomach, throwing up
cloud of earth and dust He stopped amazed,
and as he did so heard the report Of a rife
somewhat to his right. Scarcely had he
realized this when there was sudden COM
motion in his hair, and the soft black felt hat
that he was wearing started from his head,
apparently Of its own accord, and, after
twirling round twice or thrice in the air, fell
gently to the earth, and as it did SO the sound
of a second report reached his ears. 1t was
now evident that somebody was firing at him;
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